Alright guys, I love these threads so I figured I'd go ahead and start one. I plan on buying the shotgun no later than a month from now. I plan on spending up to $500 on it (I know, not much...but I'm a college student only getting paid by research). The shotguns I've been looking at were a Remington Model 1100, Remington 870 here, a Mossberg 535, and an Investarm 12GA overunder. I've been looking at 12GA, but I wouldn't mind a 20GA (mostly because of my girlfriend). I want it as a mainly skeet/trap gun. It will sit by my nightstand, but the focus WILL be breaking little orange clay disks.

I say that this is my first-ish shotgun because although I've never owned a shotgun, I've shot a shotgun of every action so I can get used to anything...but I've never shot anything so often that I'm used to it. Anywho, let me know what you think.

Honstly, a Mossy 500 is about all anyone would need unless going for the high dollar "Im rich and I shoot clay pigeons" type of thing. No offense intended, I understand the desire for a really nice shotty, I have the same desire, but as a start out "my first shotgun" type thing, you cant go wrong with a Mossy.

A Mossberg 500 or a Remington 870 will certainly serve, but I would go with a Model 1100 if you want to kill clay pigeons. If you get an LT20, you can pick up a Youth stock that may fit your lady's stature a little better easily as well. I have been shooting one for 48 years so I am a bit prejudiced, but they are good guns and the light recoil is great for shooting targets.
I would not get an inexpensive O/U just so I could say I have one. I don't like O/Us anyway, but if you do, I would wait until I could afford a good one. There is more to a good one than just going 'Bang!' when you pull the trigger.

Man, I keep forgetting about the Nova!! I keep looking at it, then looking at something else slightly more expensive over and over until I'm looking at $2000 and then I start over and ignore Benellis all together.

I was looking at the Stoeger, but for the cost is it worth it? I mean, would you rather have a Stoeger O/U or a Benelli Nova?

Honstly, a Mossy 500 is about all anyone would need unless going for the high dollar "Im rich and I shoot clay pigeons" type of thing. No offense intended, I understand the desire for a really nice shotty, I have the same desire, but as a start out "my first shotgun" type thing, you cant go wrong with a Mossy.

Hey, I would've said the EXACT same thing two weeks ago...but I walked into my LGS and they had a Mossy 500. I racked it a couple of times, and it felt okay. Then he pulled out a Benelli and asked what I thought of the feel, it really was an incredible difference. It was a brand new Mossberg 500 and a used Benelli, and the Benelli felt SOO much more solid. Of course, it WAS the $1300 model...but that's besides the point. I understand the allure of going up to and around $1000 for a shotgun, but all those Krieghoffs and Berettas fall into that buying it just to buy it regime.

If I were buying a new shotgun and it was going to my only one as a do a little of everything gun, I would first look at the Bennelli, Rem 870 then the Mossy 500. I would exclude everyother action but the pump. Possibly, a single shot if my budget was only $200. With a budget of $500, the Bennelli would be what I would buy.